New Year’s Resolutions Already Not Working?

I believe that resolutions fail because they attempt to change effects rather than causes; and the deepest causes are identities and assumptions about reality.

Whatever reality I’m getting now is giving me something; a payoff, and something deep inside me believes this is more valuable than the benefit of the resolution. I’ve also usually created a self-concept around the old payoff.

Seeing this is just like seeing the innocence of someone’s defenses, or appreciating how limited ways of being were originally created to serve you. But New Year’s Resolutions can still be helpful! Since these payoffs are rarely conscious, we can use resolutions as a tool to reveal the identity commitments, their supposed payoffs, and whether or not they’re still persuasive!

With love, Jordan